Her Curse
by Akhkharu Kashshaptu
Summary: One-shot. Because of Arabella's parents, she was cursed by a witch. Now she prefers to be alone, but after running into a certain hybrid, she believes that she's found someone else just like her. Klaus/OC


**A/N: I was going to make this a normal fic, but I couldn't think of anything interesting to add to the show's plot other than what's in this chapter. So a one-shot it is! I hope you enjoy it, and if I get any inspiration, I'll add more.**

**Arabella looks like Isabel Lucas, who's pictured in the cover photo. There's also a link to a pic of her on my profile.**

**Please note: Klaus may seem OOC but I was trying to show how his new primal urges are mildly controlling him. I've also left the ending open just in case I do think of a good plot to add to the canon storyline.**

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><p><strong>DISCLAIMER: <strong>_I do not own The Vampire Diaries, only my OC Arabella._

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><p><em>3<em>_rd__ Person POV_

When Klaus awoke after his first werewolf change, he felt amazing, and even let himself genuinely smile, because he was genuinely happy. The sun was bright, and the dirt that smudged over his naked body felt natural. He finally felt whole.

Well, almost.

Pieces of his time as a wolf came back to him, and he remembered encountering another. At first he thought the she-wolf was of the normal variety, but he could sense the human part of her, so together they hunted. And killed. And later rolled in the dirt like the animals they were.

Klaus was lying on his side, and when the memories of the she-wolf came back to him, he rolled over. There she was, lying barely a foot away from him amongst the early-spring ferns. Her long caramel hair was tangled with twigs and leaves, her lips parted as she slept peacefully.

The hybrid took his time examining her, unashamedly raking his gaze slowly down her naked body, enjoying the sight.

So she was the wolf who decided to run with him. And Klaus had to admit, he wasn't disappointed. Her hair framed an oval face with high cheekbones, petite nose, and sharp jawline. Her skin was smooth and tan, her body full with womanhood. He shifted himself up on his arms as clothes were thrown at him.

"You've been busy." Elijah said, as he leaned against a tree nearby with a light smile.

Klaus smiled some more at his older brother. "That was amazing."

"I'll be back with clothes for the girl, stay here and don't try anything."

Elijah disappeared, leaving his brother to get dressed. But Klaus didn't put his clothes on, instead looking to the girl some more.

It seemed that the brief conversation had started waking her up, her mismatched eyes finding his. Her left eye was a tawny brown, the other a light blue. Heterochromia, he remembered it was called. And it only made his interest in the girl grow deeper.

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><p><em>Arabella's POV<em>

Something woke me up, but to be honest, I didn't care one bit. That change had been the best one to date, and I'd had a fair few. My eyelids fluttered against the sunlight, but when they finally opened all the way, I found myself looking into beautiful blue eyes.

The unfamiliar, albeit incredibly gorgeous face moved back a fraction. I studied the man with short, curly blonde hair lying next to me, the man who was once the wolf I'd hunted with. The very wolf I'd seen running around the day _after_ the full moon. He was an enigma, and I never wanted to stop staring at him.

I sat up properly, and he followed my actions. I didn't care that I was naked, as it was obvious he'd already seen everything. And he was still naked too, despite the clothes I could see scattered beside him.

"You're different," I told him, brushing some hair out of my face, and taking a few twigs out in the process. "I don't know how, or why, but you are. You're like me."

Standing, I stretched out my muscles and cracked some joints. I still ached all over, but the feeling was familiar, and almost comforting. I looked down at the man as he now frowned at me.

"I don't think we're the same, love. Not at all." He slowly stood up and stopped in front of me. I had to look up at him, as he was several inches taller than me. "What's your name?"

Heat rolled off him waves. "Arabella, yours?"

"Niklaus... But these days I go by Klaus."

"I like Niklaus." I smiled, as it was the truth. It was an unusual name, but it was unique, and I truly liked i t. "It's a beautiful name, Niklaus."

His eyes grew visibly darker, but not with anger. "Say my name again."

"Niklaus." I humored him with a smirk.

"Again."

"Niklaus."

Next thing I knew, Nik was pressing me against a tree with his hands gripping my waist, but no other parts of our bodies touching. He leaned in close so his lips were near my ear. "I love the way you say my name, Ara."

My breathing hitched at the close proximity of his body and my eyes widened. Nobody ever called me Ara as a nickname. It had always been Bella, and I hated it. Not because of Twilight, but because Bella just wasn't _me_. I was cursed and a killer, but Bella was not.

Then I suddenly understood that the heat I felt near Niklaus wasn't just from him, but from me too. It was desire that burned between us.

Niklaus moved his face back to look in my eyes, our noses touching as we both breathed heavily.

"Why do I feel like this?" He asked, though to himself or me, I wasn't sure. "Like I'm a teenage boy controlled by his hormones again. It's going to drive me insane."

I had an idea why. "I've never experienced it before now, but I've met a few wolves throughout my time that told me stories. When they first went through the change, their emotions were heightened like that of a new vampire. These feelings would get even stronger the day before a full moon, and around a werewolf of the opposite gender, they'd experience full-blown lust. But..."

"What is it? Tell me." He demanded.

I sighed. "The powerful lust would only be toward whomever the wolf had existing feelings for. And it only ever hit the day and night of the full moon, never after. Never."

Niklaus squeezed his eyes closed with frustration, before opening them to look at me again. "But you said you feel it now, right? This urge?"

All I could do was nod, and Niklaus's head dipped toward mine. His lips were barely a fraction away when somebody cleared their throat.

"I hate to interrupt, Niklaus, but you're both naked and you've got a promise to fulfill before any more recreational activities." I looked up to see another beautiful man in his late twenties or early thirties, with dark hair and dark eyes, looking solemnly at Niklaus and I. He was a vampire, I could sense, and the nice suit he wore gave him a solemn appearance. "I've brought clothes for the girl, so if you'd please both get dressed."

The lustful spell wasn't broken until Niklaus turned around, but he still stood in front of me as if shielding my body from the other man's view. "The clothes please, Elijah. Let a woman have her privacy and hand them over."

The man, Elijah, threw Niklaus a plain black shift dress, black cardigan and panties, which he then handed to me. I would've liked a bra, but it would be hard to find one in my size on such short notice, and I doubt he could've guessed it anyway.

I dressed quickly, and only when I was done did Niklaus go over to his own clothes. I rubbed as much dirt off my bare legs as possible, and pulled more of the twigs and leaves out of my long hair.

"How long has it been?" He asked Elijah casually as he pulled his pants on.

"Almost two days. Full moon came and went. You remained a wolf." He shot me a glance, and I knew he was wondering how I also stayed a wolf that long too. If only he knew just how long I could stay that way.

I remembered this man now, he'd been keeping tabs on us.

"I can change at will then. That's good to know." Niklaus sounded surprised, but he grinned anyway, and I found myself growing far more curious. Was that his first change? "I remember every single kill."

"Yes, I've been cleaning up your mess." Elijah paused and looked to me again. "Both of your messes."

"Just like old times, brother." Niklaus's words didn't slip by me. So this Elijah guy was his brother, then? They didn't look closely related, though Niklaus did seem entirely comfortable around him, despite the man being a vampire.

Elijah began walking over to him with his boots, handing a pair of black slip-on shoes to me on his way. They fit fairly well, to my luck. "Well, you've had your fun. I believe we have a bargain."

"So you keep reminding me. Now, what was it again?" Niklaus was obviously being a dick and I stifled a giggle, but Elijah just gave him a stern glance. "Oh, yeah, wait. I remember. That's it. You wish to be reunited with our family."

Now I was growing more confused by the second.

Why did Elijah need Niklaus to reunite him with his family? And even though I knew next to nothing about either of the brothers, I sensed that Elijah did something big for Niklaus, to have been promised anything. I leaned against the tree just as Elijah had before, and watched the exchange, trying to put the pieces together in my head.

"You gave me your word, Niklaus."

"What kind of brother would break his bond?" Niklaus asked. "Even though you did try to kill me."

I almost groaned at that. "And what kind of soap opera is this?" I muttered under my breath, and saw Niklaus smirk as if he heard me. I spoke too low for a werewolf to hear, which only added to my confusion. Soon, it'd give me a headache.

"I could have killed you." Elijah held out Niklaus's jacket for him. "But I didn't."

Well finally! That answered why Niklaus made a promise then. Elijah went to kill him (for whatever reason, I did plan on finding out), he promised to reunite Elijah with his family, and so Elijah didn't kill him. My impending headache seemed further away, and then Niklaus just had to open his mouth again.

"No one can, not even you."

I shook my head. "You can't be killed, then?"

Niklaus just looked over to me and grinned, before grabbing my hand. "Relax, Elijah. All is forgiven.

His brother was unimpressed. "Where are they?"

Niklaus smirked and slapped Elijah on the back. "You need to lighten up. I'll bring you to them soon enough. Come on Ara, love."

Still holding hands, I walked off with Niklaus, not exactly caring where he took me. I'd been running with no destination in mind anyway.

"So," I started, trying to figure out which question to ask first. "Was that your first change? And if yes, why did you seem surprised, yet not, that you were a wolf for two days?"

Niklaus smirked at me. "Because, love, I'm a hybrid. The first ever vampire and wolf hybrid, to be specific. You smell absolutely delicious, by the way. Wolves never have before now."

"A vampire and werewolf hybrid?" I asked, confused as to how that was possible. "Not specific enough, elaborate please."

I was glad we walked at human pace, because that would give him more time to answer all my questions.

"You've heard of the Original vampires, right?" He asked, and I nodded. "Well, Elijah and I are both Originals. After our youngest brother was killed by werewolves, my mother, a witch, turned my four siblings and I into the first vampires. But I had a different father to my siblings, and he was a wolf. I didn't make my first kill until I was a vampire, and that activated the gene. But my mother locked away my wolf side with a curse, and only every so often would I have the main ingredient to break it available to me – a doppelganger.

"So for a thousand years I'd been meaning to break the curse, and during the last full moon I finally did. I changed for the first time, and it lasted two full days and nights. But now I have a question for you, love." He paused to look at me, more serious than I'd ever seen him. "I remember it all now, and you didn't join me until the day after the full moon. You should have been human again for hours by then. Why weren't you?"

I sighed and shook my head, slowly pulling the last few leaves out of my hair to delay my answer. "We both had curses put on us, Niklaus. Yours was to keep the wolf at bay, but mine was to give me a wolf when I should never have had one. Nobody in my family has ever had the werewolf gene. My parents were vampire-loving humans, and killed a lot of innocent people to get in their good books. So witches cursed them, by cursing me."

It seemed we'd both had bad run-ins with witches before, but try as I might, I could never hate them. They thought they were always doing good, though sometimes they just went about it the wrong way.

But I was glad I found Niklaus. I'd been traveling as a wolf since the full moon before the last one, but when I saw him, he captivated me. I decided to turn human when he did, and I had yet to regret the decision.

"I'm surprised that it was your first change, actually." I said, lightening the mood. "The way you hunted, and killed, was almost artistic. In the most wild way, yes, but you made it look like an art."

Niklaus grinned at me. "If I'm the artist, love, then you're the dancer. They way you moved was surreal. Ara, my dear, you were in your element." The way he said that, his voice filled with awe, actually made me blush. Or so I assumed I blushed, because it was the first time I'd ever done so. "When did you activate your special curse?"

"I first changed when I hit puberty, I didn't need to kill anybody. It's part of the curse." I shrugged absently. "I can change whenever I want, for however long I want, except I must _always_ change on the full moon. It wouldn't be too bad, I guess, so the witches gave the curse a special touch."

"Well, do tell." Niklaus raised his eyebrows.

"Normal werewolves experience all that pain when they first change, and though it doesn't exactly get better for them, it doesn't get worse, because they slowly get used to it. The witches knew this. So for me, they made sure that each transformation was more painful than the last."

He look to me with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry, love."

"Don't be." I smirked up at him. "I have a tendency to do things to spite people. The witches brought all this pain upon me, but it's only made me stronger. I've even become immune to wolfsbane, because the pain of that is nothing to what I go through every change. The witches tried to break me, and they failed."

We shared a grin, and I sensed something different about Niklaus in that moment. I couldn't be sure if it was his demeanor, or the way he looked at me, or if it was just the way he pulled me closer to his side. But I would find out. I always found out.

"Well then, love. I admire anyone who is as strong as you." He had a little twinkle in his blue eyes. "I've got a feeling that sticking together would work out well for both of us."

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><p>After explaining to Niklaus that I hadn't planned on turning back human again for quite a while, and therefore only had the clothes I was currently wearing, he took me into town and bought me a few new pairs of clothes and shoes.<p>

Well, compelled me the clothes, but still. I'm glad he got me any at all. But I refused to change into anything else until I was properly cleaned.

He took me back to his apartment, explaining that he was loaning it from a dear friend. And by 'dear friend' I automatically assumed 'victim'. I didn't know Niklaus very well, but from the way he spoke to his brother, I got a pretty good grasp on his personality. We met back up with Elijah out in the hallway and quickly entered the apartment.

"Klaus, you're back." A female voice called out, though she didn't seem at all happy about it. Niklaus seemed amused when we walked in, and I saw a pretty girl with curly brown hair and brown eyes appear from around a corner, dragging some pretty-boy with her. I automatically sensed they were vampires. "Look who decided to come for a visit."

"You just keep popping up, don't you?" Niklaus mused, smiling tightly at the man, who looked at me confused.

The girl noticed me then, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, who's this Klaus? She's _very_ pretty. Made yourself another hybrid already?"

I rolled my eyes at her scathing tone. "Oh sweetheart, I'm all wolf." I turned to Niklaus. "I'm gonna find the bathroom for a shower. Don't have too much fun without me."

He winked as I left. The bathroom wasn't that hard to find, and thankfully had a lock on the door. Though really, if a vampire or hybrid wanted to get in that bad, a lock wouldn't stop them.

I put my bag of new clothes next to the sink before stripping off the dirty clothes I wore, throwing them straight in a corner. I rummaged around in a few drawers until I found a packet of shaving razors. They were for men, but I'd shaved with worse.

Of course, my human body was exactly as it had been before I changed two months ago, but I really wanted to go all out. I hated having hair anywhere on my body besides my head, only ever enjoying it when I was a wolf.

I stepped in the shower and was glad there was plenty of hot water left. I found sandalwood soap, shampoo and conditioner, lathering up with the first two. Again, they were men's products, but smelt nice enough for a woman, and would do their job of cleaning me regardless. I rinsed, lathered again, rinsed again, then finally conditioned.

I shaved my whole body besides my stomach, chest and back, thankful that the hairs there were sparse and translucent like most people's were. When done, I just relaxed for a little while, letting my tense muscles loosen up. In all, my shower would've been around half an hour long.

After drying myself, I dressed in stretchy black skinny-jeans, a plain black shirt and a khaki jacket, finishing with thick socks and leather boots. Not super stylish, but from what I saw in town, I was still better dressed than most. Niklaus had even gotten me some underwear, hallelujah!

Niklaus had also warned me about a road-trip in the foreseeable future, should I choose to stay with him, and that it'd be best for me to have comfortable clothing. And these clothes were as good as it got for me.

I'd also gotten a small black overnight bag, which I fit the rest of my clothes and some toiletries from the bathroom into. I'd have to buy my own deodorant though, because it was extremely obvious that _only_ a man lived in the apartment. But there was an unused toothbrush still in its packaging, the razor from before, and a small tube of travel-sized toothpaste I could 'borrow'.

Hopefully Niklaus could just compel me a few more things, seeing as I was broke. Wolves don't have jobs... or pockets.

When I finally walked back out into the main room, a fair bit had changed. The first thing I noticed was Elijah lying on the ground, dead, with a dagger in his chest. Though he'd been nice enough to give me clothes, I wasn't exactly upset. He did seem far too serious for my liking.

I looked over to Niklaus, who was playing with a vial of blood. The man from earlier was crouched on the ground, a crazed look on his face as a dozen empty bags of blood lay around him and another at his lips.

"Your brother's dead, and I don't even know what's wrong with that one." I feigned shock. "Didn't I tell you to _not_ have too much fun without me?"

Niklaus smirked at me, and I was beginning to think that was his favorite facial expression. It was also one of mine. "Well, Elijah isn't permanently dead, so you didn't miss out on too much."

I grinned and hopped on the couch, letting myself get comfortable. "So, what _did_ I miss?"

"Stefan here, would like my help." Niklaus explained, holding up the vial of blood for me to see. "This is the cure to a werewolf bite – my blood. And Stefan's brother just so happens to have been bitten recently. As long as Stefan does whatever I say, his brother gets the cure."

"You're a dickhead," I laughed and Niklaus glared at me. I meant it, but I still enjoyed his company. Dickhead or not, the hybrid was actually interesting, and fun. That was always a plus in my books. Then there was also that crazy attraction I felt for him. It had faded considerably since we put clothes on, but there was still a fire between us. "But please, go on. I won't distract you any longer. Promise."

Stefan finished yet another bag and made a noise somewhere between a growl and a groan. Everyone's attention, even the other girl's, turned back to him.

Niklaus picked up another bag. "You're very cooperative. It's almost as if you're enjoying it." He walked over to Stefan, stepping over his brother's body on the way. He dropped the next bag down.

Stefan breathed heavily, blood all over his mouth and chin. "No more. Not until you give me the cure."

"Not until we make a deal. It's your choice, Stefan." Niklaus's smile dropped, and he crouched down in front of the other man to pick up the new blood bag. "You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls... or you can embrace what you truly are. Leave town with me and save your brother's life."

Niklaus held out the bag to Stefan, who eyed it how an alcoholic would eye his first drink in months. I could see how torn he was, and wondered if he didn't actually drink blood often, or any human blood at all. I'd only met a couple of vampires who drank animal blood exclusively. Finally, Stefan snatched the bag away and tore into it. The blood was like a drug to him, and it amused me greatly.

"That's the spirit." Niklaus looked pleased, like his pet had just learned a new trick. He stood and walked over to the other girl, who'd been watching everything silently. "Sweetheart... take this over to Damon and come right back." I knew he was compelling her by the way he spoke, and figured the rumors about the Originals were true. They really could compel vampires.

"You want me to leave?" She asked, her voice hopeful yet somehow emotionless at the same time.

Stefan seemed scared, and I wondered if he didn't trust the girl. "No."

"Yes. And if I were you..." She grabbed the cure and disappeared. "...I'd hurry."

I glanced back to Stefan, who now looked worried and desperate. He looked at Niklaus pleadingly. "She'll never take it to him." Niklaus looked like he couldn't care less, shrugging casually. "She'll never take it to him." He repeated and hung his head in defeat.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Niklaus grinned. "Now, I have brother to reunite with my family. Come with me Stefan. And Ara, darling, if you'd like to tag along, please do."

I nodded and followed the two men. Niklaus took us and Elijah's body to a factory, where he placed the dead body, dagger and all, into a coffin. There were four other coffins laying together nearby.

"I suppose brother... you've been reunited with our family." He told Elijah's body.

I groaned. "You have your family in those other coffins, don't you? And I bet they all have similar daggers in their chests. That is completely morbid."

"It's how I make sure they're safe. And this way, they'll never leave me."

"You're such a freak." I grinned at him.

Niklaus smirked back and closed the coffin lid, giving a glance to the two human workers he'd compelled. "Put him with the others. We're leaving town tonight." He walked over to Stefan and I as Stefan's phone buzzed. "So... did Katerina make it in time?"

And I finally had a name for the mysterious brunette woman!

"You won't be seeing her again."

"Because she's on vervain? I've been around a long time, Stefan. I rarely get played for a fool." Niklaus's voice went from serious to something a little more playful. "Besides, she won't get far. You'll help me see to that."

Stefan stalked forward, purposely invading the other man's personal space. "What is it you really want from me?"

Niklaus smiled and placed a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "All will be explained in time. Once we leave this tragic little town."

"Amen to that. This place is giving me a headache with all its small-town charm and backwards fashion." I pulled a face and Niklaus laughed. I really wasn't a fan of small towns. I preferred cities, but it was hard for a werewolf to live in one, especially around the full moon.

"Then are we done here?" The vampire asked. He appeared to be even more serious than Elijah, and I questioned why Niklaus wanted him to tag along so much. "Can we go?"

"Not quite. You see, I have a gift for you." Niklaus had the most mischievous light in his eyes. He turned and reached out an arm. "Come here, sweetheart. Don't be afraid."

A plain girl appeared and walked towards us quietly, though her fear was quite evident. Niklaus brought her in close to his body.

"See, I wanna make sure you honor our deal..." He brushed the girl's hair back off her neck. "That you'll be of use to me." His eyes turned yellow like a wolf, but grew veins under them like a vampire, and he bit into the girls neck. She whimpered, and he pulled back. "I could have compelled her to behave, but a real ripper enjoys the hunt."

He let the struggling girl go and she immediately ran screaming. Stefan looked torn for a moment, before flitting to stand in front of her, blocking her path. He slowly bit into her neck, guzzling blood before letting her lifeless body slump to the ground. Stefan was crazed, and didn't seem to know moderation when it came to drinking human blood.

So _that_ was why Niklaus wanted his company.

The hybrid appeared before the vampire and smiled. "Now we can go." He held out a hand for me and I took it in mine, already anticipating a bloody fun adventure ahead of me.


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